Favourite One
by Cielja
Summary: "As they proceeded deeper into the undergrowth, Henrik wondered if it was really the right thing to do. Father would be even more angry with Niklaus than he already was.". It's the night Niklaus takes Henrik to see the men transform into wolves. 3x8


**Favourite one**

_x Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Vampire Diaries' x_

_Enjoy reading and if you like, leave a little review :-) Thanks!_

'Wake up little brother.'. Still half-asleep Henrik rubbed his weary eyes and tried to figure out his surroundings. In the dim moonlight, shining through the small half-covered window, he finally made out his brother's face.

'Come on, I want to show you something!', Niklaus whispered, nudging Henrik's shoulder again.

Henrik was puzzled to find out to what Niklaus was referring, so he stood up and followed his older brother with shaky legs.

'Be quiet! We don't need to wake anyone else!', Niklaus threw a pair of trousers and a tunic in Henrik's direction.

As the two of them had sneaked out of the house, Niklaus grabbed the young boy at his shoulders coming face to face with him. 'This has to be our little secret, you understand? Mother and Father will not be pleased if they're going to know!'

'But... where are we going?', Henrik asked, yawning and stretching his arms over his head.

'First promise me you're not going to tell anyone!'

'Okay, I promise.', Henrik said half-heartedly. 'Will it be dangerous?', he then added, getting worried now.

'It may be dangerous, yes. It is.', Niklaus nodded genuinly. 'But don't you want to be a man?', he asked half-smilingly.

Henrik wanted to be a man! His father had promised that he'd soon get his first own sword and Elijah had already agreed to show him some tricks. Although, Henrik thought sadly, Elijah was probably going to say that he'd had more important things to give his attention to, like helping Father run the farm, when Henrik would like to pratice with his new sword.

When Henrik came to think about it, Niklaus was probably the sibling he was closest to.

Finn had never found the time or even made an attempt to spend some hours with him as he was always concerned to be his father's deputy on the farm, keeping everything in check and to Father's goodwill. The same thing Elijah tried to do as they both found it was their duty as oldest sons.

As Henrik now followed Niklaus into the woods he thought how good it actually was that he wasn't the oldest son and they didn't put such high expectations in him.

'Now, Nik, tell me where we are going?`, he couldn't keep his curiousity at bay any longer.

His older brother abruptly stopped in his tracks and pointed to the sky. 'What do you notice Henrik?'

'That it is night? ... And I'm tired! Do we have to run into the woods all night long?'

'It's a full moon!', Niklaus exclaimed excited, ignoring his brother's objection.

'But then we should be inside the house! We are not allowed to be outside on a full moon!', Henrik said angrily as he didn't want to show how afraid he really was.

'Henry, some minutes ago you told me you want to be a man! And here's your chance! We are going to see the wolves! Have you never wondered how they'd transform?', Niklaus sounded slightly outraged. 'So don't be a coward and come with me.', he teased.

'I'm not a coward! And I want to see the men transform into wolves.', Henrik said offended as he hated to be teased by his older brothers. It's a thing Kol would do constantly before he was off to find some distraction by playing pranks on the village girls or something similiar.

As they proceeded deeper into the undergrowth, Henrik wondered if it was really the right thing to do. Father would be even more angry with Niklaus than he already was. Something Henrik always found not strange but unnecessary as Nik only wanted to make everything right and please their father even if he failed miserably sometimes.

'Henry, you're behind. Follow up!', he now heard his brother's unnerved, demanding voice which got him out of his thoughts and almost caused him to stumble and hit the floor.

'What have you been thinking about? The nice little blonde from next door?', Niklaus asked amused by grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him along.

Girls were not something that occupied Henrik's mind often. Still a few months ago they were these nerve-racking creatures with high-pitched voices who liked to gather around in small groups and giggle about stupid things. Although he now had to admit that the girl, who lived in the house across their farm, was actually quite cute with her two blonde plaits and the red ribbon she mostly wore around her waist.

Rebekah also liked to pin her dress together with a ribbon, he thought. When he was younger he used to sit on her lap and she would stroke his hair and tell him stories about fairies and little gnomes inhabiting the woods. But afterall she was a girl and therefore would have to help their mother with the household while he was free to play outside, swim in the nearby lake or start playful fights with Kol or Niklaus.

Actually it was Niklaus who always started the fights, but then again, would also take him to show him mushrooms and herbs that were digestible or he taught him how to carve little chessmen out of a piece of wood. Yes, Henrik thought, Niklaus was indeed his favourite sibling.

Both of them now reached a high ground from where they could see down into a little valley if they were crouching behind some bushes so no one inside the valley would be able to see them.

From their hideout the two brothers could observe a group of men who were going to undress under the clouded sky. Some of them were bending up and down, going on all fours and then straighten up again as if they were waiting for something to happen.

As the clouds drifted apart and the full moon shone down on the little valley in all its glory, the men were suddenly gasping for air, some even started to scream as if being in great agony. Their eyes gleamed yellow and there were sounds as if their bones were breaking, deforming the men's bodies.

Henrik had never felt that terrified in all his life before but was not able to turn away from the horrorful scene in front of him and run. He cast a short glance at his brother who now had buried his fingers in Henrik's arm while looking fascinatedly at the transforming men.

Henrik noticed one man among them who had been quite friendly everythime he came across Niklaus and their brothers, but Henrik also thought that the man's charm was always somehow false and that there actually was something very malevolent and dangerous behind his façade.

As if the man, who now already showed the first signs of a wolf, had heard Henrik's thoughts, he turned his gaze and looked the boy straight in the eyes. In this moment Henrik awoke from his paralysis and he shaked Niklaus trying to get his brother to run away with him. Niklaus was hard to move away from the scenary and by the time Henrik could bring his brother to flee with him, the men had already taken on their full wolf-forms and were following their trails.

In his panic Henrik could only think about how disappointed their mother would be if she was going to find out about their nightly adventure. He loved his mother and would have never wanted to make her unhappy. Quite often she would slip him a dried piece of apple from underneath the coals in their home's fireplace, his favourite sweet, when no one of his siblings was noticing, stroking his cheek and telling him 'You're my little favourite, aren't you?', before sending him outside to play.

No, Mother would be definitely mad this time.

When Henrik turned around to regain his orientation, Niklaus was gone, but he was too afraid to call after his brother as he didn't want to gain the wolves' attention.

He heard twigs cracking behind him and as he turned around once again he was face to face with the wolf-man he knew as their friendly village neighbour. The last thing he could think of was, that he wished to have his first own sword by now and that he would never become the man his father had expected him to be.

_The End_


End file.
